We have seen many a wonder and ferlie, O,
Of changes that almost are yearlie, O,
Among rich folks up and down,
Both in country and in town,
Who now live but scrimply and barely, O.
Then why should people brag of prosperity, O?
A straitened life, we see, is no rarity, O;
Indeed, we've been in want,
And our living been but scant,
Yet we never were reduced to need charity, O.
In this house we first came together, O,
Where we've long been a father and mother, O;
And though not of stone and lime,
It will last us a' our time;
And I hope we shall never need anither, O.
And when we leave this habitation, O,
We'll depart with a good commendation, O;
We'll go hand in hand, I wiss,
To a better house than this,
To make room for the next generation, O.
Then why should old age so much wound us, O?
There is nothing in't all to confound us, O?
For how happy now am I,
With my auld wile sitting by,
And our bairns and our oyes all around us, O!
Our gudeman cam' hame.
[This highly humorous old ditty is preserved in the second edition of David Herd's collection, 1776. Johnson recovered the tune from the singing of an old hair-dresser in Edinburgh, and published it for the first time in the 5th vol. of his Museum.]
Our gudeman cam' hame at e'en,
And hame cam' he;
And there he saw a saddle-horse,
Where nae horse should be.
Oh, how cam' this horse here?
How can this be?
How cam' this horse here,
Without the leave o' me?
A horse! quo' she;
Ay, a horse, quo' he.
Ye auld blind dotard carle,
And blinder mat ye be!
It's but a bonnie milk-cow,
My mither sent to me.
A milk-cow! quo' he;
Ay, a milk-cow, quo' she.
Far ha'e I ridden,
And muckle ha'e I seen;
But a saddle on a milk-cow
Saw I never nane.
Our gudeman cam' hame at e'en,
And hame cam' he;
He spied a pair o' jack-boots,
Where nae boots should be.
What's this now, gudewife?
What's this I see?
How cam' thae boots here,
Without the leave o' me?
Boots! quo' she;
Ay, boots, quo' he.
Ye auld blind dotard carle,
And blinder mat ye be!
It's but a pair o' water-stoups,
The cooper sent to me.
Water-stoups! quo' he;
Ay, water-stoups, quo' she.
Far ha'e I ridden,
And muckle ha'e I seen;
But siller-spurs on water-stoups
Saw I never nane.
Our gudeman cam' hame at e'en,
And hame cam' he,
And there he saw a siller-sword,
Where nae sword should be.
What's this now, gudewife?
What's this I see?
O how cam' this sword here,
Without the leave o' me?
A sword! quo' she;
Ay, a sword, quo' he.
Ye auld blind dotard carle,
And blinder ma ye be!
It's but a parridge-spurtle,
My minnie sent to me.
A parridge-spurtle! quo' he;
Ay, a parridge-spurtle, quo' she.
Weel, far ha'e I ridden,
And muckle ha'e I seen;
But siller-handed parridge-spurtles
Saw I never nane.
Our gudeman cam' hame at e'en,
And hame cam' he;
And there he spied a powder'd wig,
Where nae wig should be.
What's this now, gudewife?
What's this I see?
How cam' this wig here,
